Okay, so August isn't technically autumn yet (though as far as I'm concerned, once the school year starts, summer is OVER), but Wildwood Metropark is showing definite signs of the season. First was a glorious morning mist,
which, coupled with a distinct coolness in the air, made me think of fall.
The shrub dogwoods along the trails were fruiting (And am I the only person who finds white fruit unnerving? It makes me think of baneberry, a lovely Halloweenish name for a plant.), as were the plums, viburnums, and elderberries.
Ironweed and anemone, generally signs of fall, were in full bloom.
(Obviously, these pictures were taken in very different areas of Wildwood.)
Grasses and other plants were busily going to seed, and while I am never fast enough to get bird pictures with my camera, the little seed-eaters were everywhere. Some trees are even starting to turn, like this redbud and what I think was a dogwood at the other end of a meadow.
Of course, autumn isn't
quite here yet. This far north, some of the thistles are only now beginning to bloom,
which makes me wonder if some of the goldfinches flitting through the fields today might only now be preparing to raise the next generation. Autumn is cause for celebration, but so is the hanging-on of summer.
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